9. The more detailed description of theology, conceived as aptitude.
We have a closer description of theology, conceived as " aptitude" or "personal quality", in the numerous scriptural statements describing the persons who, according to God's will and order, are to be entrusted with the teaching office in the Church. Very correctly it has been said, "Since theology, subjectively considered, is that which it is to be in those who are to administer the office of teaching in the Church, we have to look for and recognize in the biblical description of a right teacher at the same time that of a right theologian."178) The following main moments are given in Scripture:
1) Theological ability is a spiritual ability (habitus spiritualis, supernaturalis), that is, an ability which in every case, apart from natural gifts, requires personal faith in Christ (faith in the forgiveness of sins by grace for the sake of Christ's satisfactio vicaria, conversion or rebirth). Unbelievers, even if they have taken all biblical doctrines into their minds and can teach by virtue of a natural endowment, are not theologians in the sense of Holy Scriptures. Expressed dogmatically: There is no "theologia irregenitorum" [theology of the unregenerate].179) Explicitly, the fitness to administer the public teaching office is described as a spiritual effect of God, 2 Cor. 3:6: Not that we are competent of ourselves, but ή Ικανότης ημών εκ τον θεον, ος και ΐκάνωσεν ημάς κτλ. All unbelievers are dwelling and working places not of the Holy Spirit, but of the prince of this world.180) Furthermore, we see that in Scripture the ministerial gifts always appear only in connection with the personal Christian state and the Christian gifts. In the description of an επίσκοπος, 1 Tim. 3:1 ff, the "doctrinal" (διδακτικός) stands next to the predicates "not a winebibber," etc. Also 2 Tim. 2, 1 ff. the apostle Paul attributes the ability to administer the public teaching office to the grace
178) So Walther after the procedure of the older Lutheran theologians, L. u. W. 14, 10.
179) Cf. Walch, Bibliotheca Theol. II, 667 sqq. Baumgarten, Theol. Streitigkeiten III, 425 f. Rich material on the controversial question in Hollaz, Examen Proleg. I, qu. 18-21.
180) Eph. 2:3.
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of God in Christ with the words, "Be strong therefore, my son, by the grace of God in Christ Jesus!" The unconverted are in the public teaching ministry only by God's permission, against God's order. Yet, through their ministry, provided they have outwardly learned God's Word and are presenting it. Men can be converted and saved, because the effectiveness of the means of grace is not cancelled by the personal condition of those who administer them. That theological aptitude always presupposes the personal state of Christianity is expressed by the ancient theologians by describing aptitude in more detail as ϑεόσδοτος, a Spiritu Sancto per Verbum Dei collatus. Baier also says:181) Constat, theologiam esse habitum in substantia sua supernaturdlem, actibus nostris quidem, sed per vires gratiae et operationem Spiritus Sancti acquisitum. He adds: the "theology" which consists only in an external knowledge and doctrines of the truths present in the Scriptures, sicut in homines non renatos et impios cadit, without the "real", "supernatural" assent wrought by the Holy Spirit: ita nonnisi aequivoce dicta theologia est. That this truth was emphasized "primarily by Spener" is not historically correct. Baier also points out that Spener himself refutes this assertion in the treatise "Die allgemeine Gottesgelehrtheit," P. I, qu. V, p. 185 sqq, ubi [by Spener] multorum theologorum nostratium loca consona afferuntur. Luther says in regard to the spiritual character of theological aptitude, "One finds more pagan and human conceits than holy, certain doctrines of Scripture in the theologians. How shall we do to him now? I know of no other counsel than a humble prayer to God that He may give us doctors of theology. Doctors of art, of medicine, of law, of philosophy may be made by the pope, emperors, and universities; but only be sure that no one will make you a doctor of Holy Scriptures but the Holy Spirit from heaven, as Christ says John 6:45: 'They must all be taught by God Himself.'"182) Spiritual aptitude naturally also includes the Christian conviction, wrought by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, that the Holy Scriptures are the infallible Word of God, as will be explained in more detail in a moment.
181) Compendium, ed. Walther, I, 69.
182) St. L. X, 339 f.; Erl. 21, 348 f.; Walch X, 383 f.
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2. Theological aptitude includes the ability to teach only the Word of God, that is, the ability to refrain from all thoughts of one's own and other men about God and divine things and to take the doctrine to be presented only from the Word of God, that is, for our time, from the Holy Scriptures. Of all who have not this ability, it is said in 1 Tim. 6:3, "If any man teach otherwise, and abide not in the sound doctrines of our Lord JEsu Jesus Christ, he is darkened, and knoweth nothing," τετύφωται, μηδέν επιστάμενος. But Christ's words we have in the words of his apostles and prophets.183) It is therefore contrary to aptitude for the Christian magisterium, and disqualifies for the same, if any one should take the doctrine to be taught in the Christian church not from the Holy Scriptures alone, but also, for example, from alleged immediate revelations (enthusiasts) or from the so-called "Christian consciousness", "faith consciousness", the "reborn I", the "Christian experience" (modern theologians) or from the decrees of the pope and the "church" (Roman and Romanizing Protestants) or from "history", etc. Luther: "Jeremiah wrote a whole chapter about the false prophets, Jer. 23. Among other words he says thus (v. 16): 'Thus says God, the Lord of hosts: You shall not hearken to the word of the prophets who preach to you; they deceive you, preaching their own heart's vision or conceit, and not from the mouth of God.' Behold, all the prophets that preach not out of the mouth of God, they deceive, and God forbid, they shall not be heard. Is not the passage clear, that where God's Word is not preached, there no one shall listen, even by the divine majesty's commandment and disgrace, and be vain deceit? O pope, o bishops, o priests, o monks, o theologians, where will you pass by here? Do you think that it is a small thing for the high majesty to declare what does not come from the mouth of God and is something other than the Word of God? Not a thresher or a shepherd has said this. When you heard your Lord say to you, "Who told you to do this? I did not command you to do this; I fear you would hear so much from it, you should not have done it and should have shunned it as a prohibition.184)
183) Jn 17:20; 1 Pet 1:10-12; Eph 2:20.
184) St. L. XIX, 821 f.
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3. Theological aptitude includes the ability to teach the whole Word of God, as it is revealed in the Holy Scriptures. The apostle Paul says of his teaching ministry, " I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.," πάσαν την βουλήν τον ϑεοϋ.185) Only in proclaiming the whole counsel of God do public teachers remain innocent of the perishing of their hearers, as Paul testifies of himself: "I am pure from all blood."186) Since, according to God's order, the whole Christian doctrine is to be taught without subtraction or addition of "publicly and otherwise," it may be recalled in this connection that great diligence is necessary both on the part of the students of theology for the attainment of theological proficiency and on the part of the teachers already in office for the preservation and increase of theological proficiency. Therefore, the apostle's exhortation to Timothy says: "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrines; persevere in these matters. For where thou doest these things, thou shalt save thyself, and they that hear thee."187)
4. Theological efficiency includes the ability to refute false teachers. In the description of the qualities that should be found in an elder or bishop, Tit. 1:9-11 says: δυνατός … τους αντιλέγοντας ελέγχειν … ονς δεϊ έπιστομίζειν. The demand, sometimes made, that the public teacher abstain from polemics, is therefore against the Scriptures. Forbidden in Scripture is strife about unnecessary things, e.g., genealogies, Tit. 3:9: "But foolish questions, genealogies, quarrels and disputes about the law, abstain (περιΐστασο), for they are useless and vain."188) Forbidden also is polemic from carnal zeal, 2 Cor. 10:3: 'Ev σαρκΐ περιπατούντες ον κατά σάρκα στρατενό μεϑα.' It is also well to note that Tit. 1:9 is preceded by the δυνατός τους αντιλέγοντας ελέγχειν the δυνατός παρακαλεϊν έν τη διδασκαλία τή νγιαινονση. This expresses the fact that the refutation of false doctrine must be preceded by the presentation of right doctrine,
185) Acts 20:27.<w:t xml:space="preserve">186) Acts <w:t xml:space="preserve">20:26. <w:t>187) 1 Tim. 4:16.
188) Also Quenstedt reminds, Systema I, 14: In theologia polemica id praecipue cavendum, ne quaestiones otiosae cumulentur, et lites ex litibus serantur, atque ita fiat theologia eristica et contentiosa, qua nimium altercando veritas amittitur. [Google]
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so that the listener is enabled to recognize the polemic as justified and to participate inwardly. If this order is not observed, the teacher easily brings himself under suspicion of contentiousness and unjust judging. But to exclude polemics from the public teaching office is contrary to Scripture. It is expressly commanded to the teachers, as we already saw from Tit. 1:9-11 and are so abundantly instructed by the whole Scripture. All prophets and apostles and Christ Himself have also bound the rejection of false doctrines with the proclamation of right doctrine. Walther does not go too far when he writes: "Whoever presents the pure doctrine, but does not punish and refute the false doctrine opposed to it, does not warn against the wolves in sheep's clothing, that is, against the false prophets, and does not expose them, is not a faithful steward over God's mysteries, not a faithful shepherd of the sheep entrusted to him, not a faithful watchman on the battlements of Zion, but according to the Word of God a mischievous servant, a dumb dog, a traitor. How many souls are lost because of this, and how much damage the church suffers because of not practicing doctrinal refutation, is too obvious to need proof. Not only is the right doctrine usually grasped only when the opposite has become clear, but the false teachers also seek to surround their error so cunningly with the appearance of truth that the simple are all too easily deceived, despite their love of the truth, without any warning they have experienced beforehand. In vain does the pastor attempt to wash his hands of the matter, because he has preached the truth, if he has not at the same time warned against error, and that too, under certain circumstances, by mentioning the name of the false spirits, when his sheep become a prey to ravening wolves in sheep's clothing, either while he is still in charge, or yet after he has had to leave them."189) As for the "forbearing spirit," we must also remember here the difference between the state and the church. We must distinguish between the toleration of false doctrines in the state and in the church. The Christian Church of the New Testament is not commanded to expel false teachers from the state or civil society, which would require the use of external power, which is forbidden to the Church.
189) Pastorale, p. 82 f. [Pastoral Theology, p. 101]
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However, the church is commanded not to tolerate false teachers in the church, but to fight them with the Word of God. The commanded fight with the Word of God includes recognizing the false teachers as such, namely as those who deviate from the word of the apostle,190) to refute them,191) to isolate them, that is, not to hold any fellowship with them192) and possibly, if they do not avoid church themselves, to formally exclude them from the church fellowship.198)
5. Finally, theological aptitude includes the ability to suffer for the sake of Christian doctrine. This part of theological aptitude is also abundantly indicated in Scripture. The apostle Paul calls out to Timothy: κακοπάϑησον, and that is μέχρι δεσμών.194) Suffering is therefore a necessary quality of a Christian teacher, because the gospel of being saved by faith in Christ crucified without the works of the law is so not to the taste of the world, but Ίουδαίοις μεν οκάνδαλον, 'Έλλησι δε μωρία.195) Christ therefore presents Christians with the prognostic for life in this world: Έσεσϑε μισούμενοι νπδ πάντων των εϑνών διά τδ δνομά μον.196) This hatred naturally and experientially turns especially against the teachers who are in public office.197) If these are not capable of suffering, of renouncing property, honor, position, even life and limb, they will compromise with error or fall away altogether and thus lose salvation.198) Hence Paul's exhortation to Timothy, "Be strong therefore, my son, through grace in Jesus Christ."199)
190) Rom. 16:17: οκοπεΐν τονς τάς διχοστασίας και τά σκάνδαλα παρά την διδαχήν ήν νμεΐς έμάϑετε, ποιοννντας.
191) Tit. 1:9, 11: έλέγχειν, επιστομίζειν.
192) Rom. 16:17: έκκλίνατε απ αντών. 2 John 10: χαίρειν αντφ (the false teacher) μη λέγετε.
193) The apostle's procedure regarding Hymenaeus and Alexander, 1 Tim. 1:20; cf. 2 Tim. 2:17; 4:14.
194) 2 Tim. 2:3, 9.<w:t>195) 1 Cor. 1:23.<w:t>196) Matt. 24:9.
197) Acts 9:16: "I will show him (Paul) how much he must suffer for my name's sake." Acts 26:21 Paul reports, "They went about (επειρώντο) to kill me."
198) 2 Tim. 2:12: εἰ ἀρνούμεθα κἀκεῖνος ἀρνήσεται ἡμᾶς.
199) 2 Tim. 2:1, 8
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